Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist

This is the biography of the longest-living survivor (42) of cystic fibrosis on record. What comes to mind first is, of course, the S&M scenes, often with his dominatrix-lover (lucky guy) Sheree Rose, but what's missed is the entire point that he was trying to beat the pain the disease was giving him. Another thing often overlooked is the relationship that Bob and Sheree have. She almost seems nice when slicing open Bob's chest with a razor blade. Another issue is the way the death of Bob is treated, where you wonder if privacy would be the best action there.

Kirby Dick filmed this, and was chosen by Sheree, who filmed much of the actual content before bringing Dick on.

The film doesn't seem exploitative, though: It seems honest, as if the filmmaker, Dick, wanted to help the viewer figure out what all this was about, and perhaps for art to make that pain and loss seem meaningful.